Answering the call

- Evening News photo by BRYAN BOSCH
SMCC graduate Daniel Passon will attend The University of Notre Dame in the fall. Daniel, pictured in St. Charles Catholic Church in Newport, plans to enter seminary school.

The 2012 graduate of St. Mary Catholic Central High School will soon enter the Old College Undergraduate Seminary situated on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. He is one of only two freshmen throughout the country who will enter the program where he has received a full-tuition scholarship for classes at Notre Dame.

For Mr. Passon, 18, the calling to Catholic priesthood started when he was in middle school.

“It’s difficult to explain, but I just felt like there was always something more I should do with my life,” he said. “I started to read the Bible and developed a deeper relationship in my faith.”

A parishioner at St. Charles Catholic Church in Newport, Mr. Passon spoke with then- pastor Father Fred Misiolek about his calling.

“It was during my confirmation time and we were each interviewed by Father Fred and during the interview, he asked me if I had considered pursuing becoming a priest,” Mr. Passon recalled.

During middle school and into high school, the idea stayed rooted in Mr. Passon’s mind.

“I really started getting into Scripture and it seemed a door was opening for me,” he said. “I felt God was drawing me in on His end.”

In August, the son of Anita and Lonn Passon of Monroe, will enter the discernment process, which is a seminary program during the undergraduate years at college. Through the program, men 18 to 22 are led through a program of prayer and formation that allows them to consider their calling while studying in the classrooms and participating in traditional activities at Notre Dame.

The discernment process is through the Order of the Holy Cross and is a stepping stone to become a priest, Mr. Passon said. During his undergraduate years, he will be spending time with graduate seminarians who will help guide him along the way.

“We’ll be spending a lot of time in prayer,” he said.

In the fourth and fifth year, discerners will determine if they plan to continue on with their seminary studies. In all, the process to become a priest takes nine years.

Though he will be studying philosophy and theology, Mr. Passon said he also is considering majoring in history or literature as well.

Family members and the SMCC community have been supportive of Mr. Passon’s decision, he said.

“Coming from SMCC, a lot of people are very proud,” he said. “I was so glad to be a part of a faith-based community who are willing to support me.”

He said his family has also been “great.”

“They love the program and they love Notre Dame,” Mr. Passon said.

The Roman Catholic Church has seen a shortage of priest in the last few decades. Just a few decades before, it was not uncommon for families with multiple sons to have at least one enter priesthood.

Mr. Passon said he believes priests today are more devoted.

“I think the people who are priests are more committed to their faith today,” he said.

Previously, discerners were allowed to date and even encouraged to do so during their undergraduate studies. Nowadays, the program does not allow its pupils to do so. Mr. Passon, who currently has a girlfriend, said he is committed to being successful in his religious life.

“I’m really excited to enter Old College and have this commitment to my faith,” he said.

The process to enter the seminary was lengthy. Mr. Passon completed a 30-page application in addition to a 20-page essay. He spent three days interviewing with lay members, clergy and psychologists before he was accepted into the program.

If he completes the nine-year program, Mr. Passon would be assigned into one of three areas of work: education, mission or parish service.

“I would like to teach eventually, but I think I would like mission work because it is a challenge,” he said. “It can grow and test your boundaries.”

Mr. Passon said he chose the Order of the Holy Cross, whose priests take vows of poverty, because he was drawn to the group.

“I felt it was a special bond and a true sense of brotherhood,” he said. “It was such a perfect fit.”

Ultimately, Mr. Passon said he is committed to the program and wants to one day be a Catholic priest.

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